


Raindrop Melody

by rubylily



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-01 08:59:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13994898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubylily/pseuds/rubylily
Summary: As much as she wishes otherwise, all Kawakami can do is wait.





	Raindrop Melody

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VampirePaladin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/gifts).



> This fic uses Joker's anime name of Amamiya Ren.

Kawakami stared at the cup of coffee she had made, and the sound of rain pounding against the windows filled her ears. Truth be told, if she wasn't so worried about Ren, she'd be bored out of her mind. She had cleaned and made more of those strange tools - the Phantom Thieves weren't literal thieves, were they? How exactly did they "steal" hearts, anyway? - and now she simply waited for Ren.

She drummed her fingers on the counter. He was late, and she had been a teacher long enough to know that was never a good thing.

A sharp knock on the door startled her, but then she let out a sigh of relief as she spotted Ren's silhouette in the glass. She went to open the door for him, and that black cat dashed in as Ren collapsed against her.

And his arm was bleeding heavily.

Kawakami couldn't help but gasp. "We need to get you to a hospital!"

Ren grimaced, and his face was covered in rain and sweat. "No, no hospitals… Get the first aid kit…"

Kawakami thought of arguing, but then decided against it as she helped Ren up the stairs. There was a clinic down the street, but it was probably closed now, and if this injury was related to the Phantom Thieves, she supposed she couldn't blame Ren for not wanting to go to a doctor.

She inhaled a deep breath. She was older, she had to be brave, to protect him.

After she lay Ren on his bed - his cat kept meowing sharply, as if scolding him - she retrieved the first aid kit. The first time Ren had called her to this place, she had demanded to see the first aid kit so she could double-check that everything was right. After all, since he lived alone, she told him he had to be prepared for anything.

Once she had gotten both the first aid kit and clean, dry towels, she carefully removed Ren's soaked jacket and shirt to get a better look at the gash on his arm, and the scent of blood filled her nose. It was long, but not as deep as she had feared. She knew basic first aid, of course, but she was no nurse or doctor, and she hoped this injury wouldn't require stitches.

She knelt at Ren's bedside; while she hoped this would be a simple enough wound to treat, it wasn't something a high school student should ever have to suffer, she couldn't help but think. Ren let out a low hiss of pain as she disinfected the gash, and his skin was pallid and covered in sweat. Kawakami clenched her teeth; she had to be brave, she was older, this was the man she loved. All her thoughts were still a mess, but of that she could at least be certain.

As she cleaned Ren's wound, his black cat had gone silent, and it watched her intently, as if it held human-like intelligence behind those strange blue eyes. She gulped; there was something unusual about that cat, and she found she didn't quite like how it was staring at her.

Ren chuckled weakly. "Morgana's just mad at me. Don't worry about him."

"Morgana's a rather strange name for a cat," Kawakami said, trying to keep her bloodied fingers steady. "But you're a rather strange boy for always sneaking your cat into school."

That cat, Morgana, let out a sound like a cross between a meow and a smirk, and Kawakami had never seen such a smug expression on a cat.

When Kawakami finished cleaning the gash on Ren's arm, she pressed a clean bandage against it and then wrapped gauze around his arm, being careful not to tie it too tightly. The bandage covered most of his arm, and again Kawakami felt sick to her stomach; the wound hadn't looked that deep, but she wasn't a medical expert either…

Ren sat up and flexed his arm. "Thank you," he said softly, and as he reached for a dry shirt and put it on, Kawakami couldn't help but notice all the other blemishes and bruises that marred his skin. He was tall, taller than her, but he was also thinner than she had realized, not quite what she had imagined for a delinquent or a Phantom Thief. But she saw hidden strength behind those oversized glasses too, strength that she had fallen in love with.

But he was still young, and she wanted to do more to protect him.

"Amamiya-kun," she said firmly as she laid her hand over his, "was it Phantom Thief business?"

Morgana jolted, as if startled, and then began meowing angrily at Ren.

He, however, only smiled grimly. "I thought it'd be a simple mission, so I figured I could handle it alone."

Kawakami sighed and sat beside Ren. "You really can be quite reckless. Sometimes I forget you're still just a teenager."

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry," Ren muttered, and his hand brushed against Kawakami's.

"You have teammates, don't you?" Kawakami took Ren's hand into hers, and his skin had grown warmer. She suspected Ann and Ryuji were Phantom Thieves too, but she wasn't about to scare Ren by saying that out loud. "I don't know how you steal hearts and all that, but I do know it's dangerous, and that you shouldn't worry your teammates. And…" She bit her lip, and her eyes hurt. "I know I can't stop you, but I don't ever want you to scare me like that again."

Ren's face fell, nothing like the calm, mild expression he normally wore. He almost appeared vulnerable and hesitant, and Kawakami's chest tightened. Then a faint smile crossed his lips as he rested his head in Kawakami's lap, as he often did when they were alone together. "I'll try to be more careful in the future, I promise," he said.

Kawakami laid her hand on Ren's thick hair; it wasn't as damp as it had been earlier, so she didn't have to worry much about her maid costume. She let out another heavy sigh as her eyes fell upon his injured arm. The scent of blood still lingered, and it probably would even after she left for her home and tried to sleep. Not that she had slept well these past several days, as she was always plagued by nightmares of Ren in danger, she thought bitterly. But she couldn't ask Ren to stop being a Phantom Thief. She didn't have that right. He and his friends were in even greater danger now, with the timing of Okumura Kunikazu's death and that one politician gaining popularity by condemning the Phantom Thieves, but Kawakami couldn't doubt Ren. Young though he was, she had never met anyone with a stronger sense of justice.

Her fingers tensed, feeling strands of Ren's hair against her skin. The rain outside had grown louder, too loud to be soothing, but it wasn't so bad now that she knew Ren was safe with her. His breathing was calm, and his smile was faint yet peaceful, as if he hadn't almost scared his teacher half to death. Maybe she should've been angry at how shameless he could be, but instead she was just relieved she hadn't lost him. Even if all she could do was wait, she didn't want those nightmares to become reality. She wouldn't let them.

She let out a heavy sigh. It was shameful that adults like her put so much pressure on teenagers like Ren and his friends to change society, but perhaps it was because they were still young they were optimistic that the world could be changed for the better.

And all she could do was support Ren from the shadows, but maybe she was still a little hopeful too if she had managed to fall in love with a boy so young and idealistic.

Carefully Ren raised his hand to touch Kawakami's face, and that hand was warm and calloused. "I'm glad you're here," he said as he smiled softly, sincerely. "I really am."

Kawakami pressed her hand against Ren's. "This would be so much easier if you were a little older, you know."

Ren's smile widened, and his eyes twinkled mischievously. "I like a challenge."

Kawakami couldn't help but laugh, and as Ren sat up, she finally saw the faint blush on his cheeks, and she drew him closer for a kiss.


End file.
